Hawser steering anti-yawing and safety mechanism for towed barges and the like



114*253. XR 314699552 5R J. v. PATRICK 3,469,552 ANTI AND SAFETY MECHANISM FOR TDWED BARGES AND THE' LIKE rmwssa s'rss-Rim Filed April 5, 1968 -YAWING Sept. 30, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N VENTOR.

JEAN PATPIICH ATTORNEY.

\Sept. 30. 1969 v r .1. v. PATRICK I .45 5

HAWSER STEERING ANTI-YAWING AND SAFETY MECHANISM FOR TOWBD BARGES AND THE LIKE 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 med April 5, 1968 INYENTOR. JEAN PATRICK BY 28/ he WA YXTTORNEY.

3 469 552 HAWSER STEERING A NTl-YAWING AND SAFETY MECHANISM FOR TOWED BARGES AND THE LIKE,

Jean V. Patrick, 205 Locust St, Newtown Square, Pa. 19073 Filed Apr. 5, 1968, Ser. No. 719,075 Int. Cl. 1363b 21/04 US. Cl. 114-236 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE in which the towline will be a projection of the longituciinal axis of the barge.

- f A weight or other force-exerting device is operatively connected to the rudders and is effective only when the towline becomes slack, to move the rudders to positions at an angle to the direction of movement of the barge whereby the rudders act as a brake and slow down movement of the towed vessel.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a barge provided with the steering-brake mechanism of this invention, the barge being towed in a calm sea and being coaxial with the towing tug.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view looking in the of line 3-3 on FIG. 2.

FIG. 3A is an enlarged, perspective view of one of the rudders shown detached.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary top plan view of the stern of the barge showing how the rudders act as a brake when the towline parts.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are top plan views and show the positions which the rudders assume in response to port, or starboard, yawing of the towed vessel.

In the drawing there is shown a barge 10 and a tug 12 which are connected by a towline 14. The towline terrninatesv in a piece of chain 18 which is connected to a tiller 20 at the stem of the barge. A The tug and the barge form no part of this invention and are not shown nor described in detail. It is enough to say that while the towed vessel is moving there is a constant tendency to yaw in either direction, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

To overcome this difficulty, I provide the-barge, near the stern thereof, with two pins 22. and 24 which are rigidly mounted in any well known manner. As shown in FIG. 3A, the lower ends of pins 22 and 24 engage openings formed in hubs 26 which are carried-by, or are otherwise secured, near the ends of conventional dual keels 28.

direction 2 Claims United States Patent() A rudder, or a pair of rudders, mounted for pivotal]v movement, and means connecting the rudders, in tandem,-;

to the towline, whereby any pull exerted at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the barge will correspondingly deflect the rudders to steer the barge back to a position ice Pins 22 and 24 pivotally support sleeves 30 and 32 which carry, or are integral with, rudders 34 and 36. Rigidly secured to, or integral with, sleeves 30 and 32, are horizontal arms 38 and 40 which are provided with apertures 42 forthe passage of the rear ends of cords 44 and 46, the front ends of which are secured to loop 48 at the rear end of the towline 14.

When'the tug and the barge are in axial alignment,'as in FIG. -1, equal pull is exerted on cords 44 and 46 and rudders 34 and 36 assume the positions shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 in which they constituteprojections, or extensions, of keels 28. When the tug yaws, cords 44 and 4.6-

are subjected to pull which moves the rudders to the positions shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 in which the rudders areparallel to each other but are at an angle to the axis of the barge.

When the towline breaks, the barge continues to move under its momentum, but non-directionally. Therefore, it While so moving, the barge overtakes the tug or'other vessel, a disastrous collision can result. To guard against this danger, I extend cords 44 and 46 through, and beyond, guide holes 42 and 44, and secure these to a common ring 54 to which is also secured a cord 56 which carries a weight 58. I

As long as the barge is under tow, the weight drags 'behind with no effect on the rudders. This is due to the fact that the tension on cords 44 and 46 is greater than the pull of the weight. But, when the towline parts, the tension on cords 44 and.46 disappears, and weight 58, pulling on. ring 54, moves limbs 38 and 40 and rudders 34 and 36 into'the V-shape position of FIG. 4 in which the rudders act as brakes and slow down the movement of the barge.

What I claim is:

1. An anti-yawing and safety yesself'saiid'tnechanis'm' incliidingi i tsziutddsrst means mounting said rudders for rotation about vertical axes from a first position in which said rudders are in vertical planes which are parallel to a central vertical plane which passes through the median axis of the vessel being towed to a second position in which said rudders are in parallel vertical planes which intersect said central plane,

a first flexible clement connecting one of said rudders to the tow hawser which connects the towed vessel to the towing vessel,

a second flexible element connecting the other of said rudders to the towing hawser whereby a yawing of the towed vessel in one direction moves said rudders in the opposite direction,

a third flexible element connecting said rudders, and a weight secured to said third flexible element and operative when said rudders are not otherwise restrained, to move said rudders into planes which diverge relative to central plane upon substantial duress of tension on the towing hawser.

2. An anti-yawing mechanism for a towed vessel, said mechanism including: I

a hawser connected at a firs". end thereof to the towing vessel and at a second end thereof to the stem of said towed vessel whereby the entire towing strain is exerted on the hawser,

a pair of rudders,

means mounting said rudders for rotation about vertical axes from a first position in which said rudders mssbanis ess. P

are in vertical planes which are-perallel to ecentral References Cited vertical plane which passes throughthelrnedian axis of the vessel being towed to a second position in UNITED STATES PATENTS which said rudders are in parallel vertical planes 1,570,622 5/1928 Hickman. which intersect said central plane, and 5 3,336,895 8 /1967 Nelson a pair of flexible elements connecting the respective rudders to said hawser at a point between the? towed 3330A 4/1968 Bowker et 1 l4 235 vessel and the towing vessel beyond the connection of the hawser to the towed vessel whereby the yaw- TRYGVE BLIX Primary Examiner resisting force is exerted on said flexible elements. 10 

